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SOLDIER  AND   SERVANT   SERIES 


2[ljc  Mauaficlba  anJ>  S[lje  OJljutcly 


Publication  No.  146  Quarterly  25  Cents 


March,  1927 


ajt|urcl|  Misoiatts  3pubUsl|ittg  (flompattg 

3 1  -45  Church  Street     :  :     Hartford,  Connedticut 


Acceptance  for  mailing  at  special  rate  of  postage  provided  for  in  sedlion  1  103  Act  of  Ocflober  3,  1917 
Authorized  January  12,  1924     Entered  as  Second  Class  Matter,  Hartford,  Conn. 


THE  CO\  ER  ILLITSTRATION 

IT  SEEMS  APPROPRIATE  THAT  THE 
VIGNETTE  OF  THIS  FAMILY  GROUP 
SHOULD  BE  A  SHIP.  ON  SUCH  A  SHIP 
MR.  RICHARD  MANSFIELD  CAME  TO 
AMERICA.  ON  A  SHIP  THE  REV. 
RICHARD  MANSFIELD  WENT  TO  ENG- 
LAND FOR  HOLV  ORDERS,  AND  THUS 
RETLTRNED.  THE  REV.  A.  R.  MANS- 
FIELD IS  SHORE  PILOT  TO  THOU- 
SANDS WHO  GO  DOWN  TO  THE  SEA 
IN  SHIPS.  THE  HON.  BURTON  MANS- 
FIELD IS  LEGAL  PILOT  TO  THAT  SHIP 
WHICH  IS  CALLED  THE  ARK  OF  SAL- 
VATION. ALL  HAVE  BEEN  OR  ARE 
GUIDES  TO  PILGRIMS  VOYAGING  TO 
THE  HAVEN  WHERE  THEY  WOULD  BE. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


The  First  CnuRni  at  Di'Lkhv  P'rontispiece 

Mr.  Richard  Mansfield,  Pioneer  Pa^c    3 

The  Old  Mansfield  House  Paj^^e    7 

The  Rev.  Richard  Mansfield,  D.  D.  Page  13 
"Sarvant  of  the  Lord" 

The  Rev.  Archibald  R.  Mansfield,  D.  D.                   Page  21 

"Shore  Pilot" 

Hon.  Burton  Mansfield,  D.  C.  L.  Pa^e  27 
Chancellor  of  the  Diocese  of  Connecticut 


MR.  RICHARD  MANSFIELD 

PIONEER 

RICHARD  MANSFIELD,  one  of  tl:e  first  settlers  of  New 
Haven,  and  ancestor  of  about  all  of  the  Mansfields  in  Connecticut, 
and  most  of  them  in  New  York  State,  and  in  several  of  the 
western  and  southern  states,  came  from  Exeter,  Devonshire, 
Ent;land,  and  settled  in  "Quinnipiac,"  (New  Haven,  Conn.),  in 
1639.  This  is  shown  by  a  deed  of  land  from  James  Marshall,  of 
Exeter,  England,  duly  recorded  in  New  Haven  land  records.  Vol. 
I,  part  of  which  was  situated  on  the  northwest  corner  of  what  is 
now  Elm  Street  and  Church  Street,  extending  from  near  Temple 
Street  easterly,  and  round  the  corner  northerly,  to  near  the  pres- 
ent Wall  Street.  He  owned  another  lot  on  State  Street,  nearly 
opposite  the  County  Bank.  For  the  first  two  or  three  years  the 
settlers  confined  themselves  to  cultivating  their  lots  in  the 
Town  plot,  and  near  vicinity,  included  in  what  was  called  the 
first  Division,  and  it  is  supposed  he  did  not  build  on  either  of 
the  above  lots,  unless  it  was  temporary  accommodations,  per- 
haps a  sort  of  a  cellar,  partly  in  the  ground,  with  a  thatched  roof, 
a  kind  of  habitation  built  and  occupied  by  many  of  the  most 
respectable  inhabitants  in  the  first  year  or  two. 

In  the  schedule  of  the  list  of  the  first  Planters,  1641,  he  is 
put  down  at  £400;  30  acres  In  the  first  division,  6  acres  in  the 
"Neck,"  22  acres  of  meadow,  and  88  in  the  second  division. 
About  tliis  time,  it  is  supposed,  he  established  his  large  farm, 
and  built  his  dwelling-house  and  farm  accommodations  at  a 
place  in  the  "second  division,"  called  the  "East  Farms,"  some 
43^  miles  out,  on  the  present  North  Haven  road,  where  he  lived 
till  he  died,  January  10,  1655.  His  nearest  neighbors  were 
David  Atwater,  Capt.  Nathaniel  Turner,  William  Potter. 
William  Bradlev,  and  a  few  others. 


4  SOLDIER    AND   SERVANT   SERIES 

His  wife's  first  name  was  Gillian;  what  her  surname  was 
prol)ably  can  never  be  ascertained.  After  his  death,  she  married, 
in  1657,  Alexander  Field,  and  removed  into  the  Town  to  live 
with  her  husband  in  a  house  just  purchased  by  him  of  Josiah 
Stanbrough  of  vSouthampton,  L.  I.,  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife, 
formerly  the  wife  of  Thomas  Wheeler,  who  had  owned  and 
occupied  the  same  while  living,  "House  and  barn  with  about 
one  acre  of  land  facing;  easterly  the  Market  Place."  Richard 
IVIansfield  and  Gillian,  his  wife  had  only  two  children,  Joseph, 
born  about  1636,  and  Moses,  born  in  January  or  February, 
1639  Old  vStyle.  She  had  no  children  by  her  second  marriage. 
Her  second  husljand  died  in  1666,  and  she  then  went  to  live 
with  her  son  Moses,  whose  homestead  occupied  the  large  lot^ 
corner  of  Elm  and  Church  Streets,  formerly  his  father  Richard's. 
His  dwelling  house  fronted  on  Elm  Street.  She  died  in  1669. 
We  extract  from  the  Colony  Records  the  following: 

"At  a  Court  held  1643,  Richard  Mansfield  demanded  a 
debt  of  40s.  of  Henry  Gibbons,  which  said  Henry  promised  to 
pay  within  a  month,  only  desired  to  have  20s.  of  it  abated  for 
lodging  and  firewood  for  a  whole  winter  in  his  cellar,  which  was 
thought  reasonable,  and  Richard  Mansfield  ordered  to  allot  it." 

Gov.  Theophilus  Eaton  gave  oath  of  fidelity  to  Richard 
Mansfield  at  General  Court  at  New  Haven,  July  1,  1644. 

At  General  Court  October  7,  1646,  "Bro.  Richard  Mansfield 
had  liberty  to  dept.  the  Court.  Richard  Mansfield  with  John 
Thonias  are  appoynted  to  view  East  river  for  a  Bridge,  and 
consider  in  what  place,  and  how  with  the  least  chardge  it  may  be 
most  conveynient  and  commodious  to  suite  the  end  propounded, 
and  report  to  the  Governor  and  Magistrates,  what  their  ap- 
prehensions are  concerning  it." 

At  General  Court  Maye  1648,  Richard  Mansfield  and 
David  Atwater,  "is  to  finde  each  of  them  a  man  to  watch  at  the 
towne,  in  regard  of  ther  house  lots  heare." 

In  1648,  Richard  Mansfield  and  others  (18  in  all)  "each  of 
them  fined  12d.  for  not  bringing  their  weights  and  measures  to 
be  tryed,  upon  the  day  appoynted". 


MR.    RICHARD   MANSFIELD,    PIONEER  5 

February  G,  1648,  Richard  Mansfield,  John  Thonipson» 
and  Andrew  Low,  were  complained  of  for,  "their  fencing  lying 
down,  the  most  part  of  the  last  summer,  and  yet  it  is  not  up. 
20  posts  Richard  Mansfield,  12  posts  Andrew  Low,  and  6  posts 
John  Thompson,  as  John  Cooper  informs."  They  answered, 
"it  was  a  middle  fence  and  some  of  the  Quarter  was  in  a  demurr 
for  some  time  whether  to  have  it  maintyned  or  taken  away. 
Upon  which  consideration  the  Court  ordered  that  they  pay  but 
12d.  a  post  for  the  whole  time  past." 

Exeter,  the  place  from  which  he  emigrated,  has  been  a  city, 
and  governed  by  a  Mayor,  etc.,  ever  since  the  year  1200.  There 
was  a  vSir  John  Mansfield,  knight.  Mayor  of  the  City  a  few  years 
before  the  first  emigration  to  New  England.  He  was  also 
"Master  of  the  Minories,  and  Queen's  Surveyor  under  Queen 
Elizabeth."  There  was  a  "rich  merchant,"  a  Mr.  Marshall,  in 
Exeter,  who  advanced  considerable  money  to  John  Mansfield,  a 
son  of  the  above  Sir  John,  to  enable  him  to  come  over  and  settle 
in  New  England.  He  came  in  the  Rcoani,  in  1634,  settled  in 
Charlestown,  had  a  family,  and  died  about  1670,  but  there  are 
no  descendants,  at  least  by  name  of  Mansfield.  Probably  this 
Mr.  Marshall,  whom  Gov.  Winthrop  calls  "That  rich  merchant," 
in  his  "History  of  New  England,"  was  the  same  as  the  James 
Marshall,  who  sold  all  his  possessions  in  New  Haven  to  Richard 
Mansfield,  and  perhaps,  or  prol^ably,  Richard  was  also  a  son  of 
Sir  John.  In  the  list  of  the  123  first  grantees  of  Nev\^  Haven, 
Richard  Mansfield  has  Mr.  affixed  to  his  name,  with  only  7 
others  in  the  whole  list,  with  that  title.  The  title  of  Mr.  (Master) 
at  this  time  was  far  more  honorable  than  that  of  Esciuire,  200 
years  later. 


THE  OLD  MANSFIELD  HOUSE 

IN  DERBY,  CONNECTICUT 

This  ancient  house,  when  the  property  was  bouj^^ht  by  the 
PoHsh  Church  Corporation  in  1924,  was  to  have  been  torn  down, 
after  havin^^  stood  on  the  "Town  Street"  of  Old  Derby  for  many 
a  decade,  but  upon  the  intercession  of  Mrs.  F.  E.  Stivers  for  its 
preservation,  they  most  (generously  <2;ave  it  to  her,  if  she  would 
move  it  off  the  property. 

An  Association  was  formed  of  three  persons  who  valued  the 
old  house  for  its  historical  associations  with  the  early  church. 
After  an  almost  hopeless  search  for  a  lot  nearby  to  put  it  on, 
part  of  the  old  "Hotchkiss  homestead"  across  the  street  and  a 
little  further  down  was  secured. 

Money  had  been  collected  from  individuals,  in  town  and 
out,  who  were  interested  in  preser\nni;;  the  remnants  of  our  early 
Colonial  life  and  architecture,  and  the  "Society  for  the  Preserva- 
tion of  New  En(i;land  Antiquities"  ,<;ave  $1,300  towards  the  pro- 
ject. A  new  cellar  was  Ijuilt  allowinj^  an  air  space  under  the 
half  of  the  house  without  a  cellar,  in  order  to  prevent  the  sills 
from  rottin.c;.  As  the  lot  was  on  a  hillside,  a  retaining  wall  had 
to  be  built  on  the  south  side,  which  was  an  added  expense. 

The  house  had  to  be  straightened  up,  as  it  was  twenty-one 
inches  out  of  plumb  due  to  ""the  sagging  of  the  immense  stone 
chinmey,  whose  foundation  having  been  built  on  the  sand  had 
gradually  dropped,  there  being  no  cellar  under  that  side,  taking 
the  house  with  it;  the  chimney  had  to  be  taken  down  before 
moving,  Init  ah  the  stone  and  brick  were  saved,  and  each  section 
was  carefully  measured  and  drawings  were  made,  so  it  was  re- 
built exactly  as  before,  with  the  exception  of  a  concrete  founda- 
tion, to  guard  against  sagging  in  the  future.  The  sills  on  the 
side  without  a  cellar  were  found  to  have  rotted,  so  thev  were 


8  SOLDIER   AND   SERVANT   SERIES 

replaced,  and  the  old  house  started  on  its  journey  down  the  hill 
to  its  new  site  across  the  street.  It  took  a  week,  but  the  journey 
was  safely  accomplished  despite  the  many  predictions  that  it 
would  fall  to  pieces  on  the  way.  In  moving  it  down  the  hill,  the 
house  being  large,  considerable  weight  was  brought  against  the 
front  of  the  building  and  the  jolting  loosened  the  beams  support- 
ing the  frame,  but  it  was  safely  placed  on  its  new  foundation  and 
the  beams  were  replaced  and  fastened,  —  a  considerable  task, 
as  the  whole  house  was  of  oak,  —  frame,  clap-boards,  even  the 
laths.  While  this  was  being  done  and  the  windows  and  doors 
were  out,  there  came  a  terrific  wand  storm,  almost  a  hurricane, 
and  the  wind  tearing  through  the  house  forced  some  of  the  front 
boards  that  were  loosened  entirely  off,  clap-boards  and  all. 

This  damage  was  repaired  and  the  whole  outside  made 
weather  tight;  the  upper  windows  were  the  original  ones  but  in 
the  lower  ones  large  panes  of  glass  had  been  substituted  at  some 
time;  after  considerable  search  some  were  found  that  exactly 
matched  the  old  ones,  even  to  number  of  panes,  in  the  old  Josiah 
Smith  homestead  on  Main  Street.  The  present  owner  very  kindly 
offered  to  exchange  them  for  new  ones,  also  donating  two  flights 
of  old  oak  stairs,  one  of  which  was  used  for  the  cellar  and  the 
other  for  the  upper  attic  from  the  lean-to. 

The  repairing  and  restoration  of  the  interior  was  done  by 
an  Italian,  who  was  not  only  a  master  carpenter  but  an  artist  in 
wood,  and  who  took  infinite  pains  in  restoring  the  woodwork 
and  old  carvings  to  their  original  beauty. 

The  paint  was  scraped  down  to  the  original  coat  and  matched 
up  in  each  ro3:n,  there  being  only  two  colors,  Indian  red  and 
the  old  gray  green.  The  wall  papers  are  reproductions  of  the 
very  earliest  made  in  New  England  and  mostly  historical. 

A  most  unusual  feature  of  the  house  is,  that  the  old  hardware 
was  complete,  even  some  of  the  old  latch  fastenings  before  locks 
were  used,  and  the  front  door  was  fastened  with  a  bar  across. 
At  present  there  are  three  rooms  to  be  furnished  for  inspection. 
These  rooms  will  be  furnished  as  far  as  possible  in  the  fashion  in 
vogue  during  Dr.  Richard  Mansfield's  occupancy  of  it,  and  many 
pieces  have  already  been  given. 


THIi   OLD   MANSriKLI)    HOUSE  9 

^\^lile  tlic  chimney  was  bein^  rebuilt,  the  date  1672  was 
found  chiselled  on  one  of  the  lar^e  beams  forming:;  the  frame  of 
the  house.  After  long  and  careful  study  of  the  ancient  Land 
Records,  Mrs.  Stivers  came  to  the  conclusion  it  was  built  by 
Ephraim  Smith,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Derby.  When  bought 
for  a  "Glebe"  in  1748,  it  was  the  property  of  the  Gunn  family, 
a  very  wealthy  and  churchly  family. 

Its  roof  sheltered  many  of  those  prominent  in  the  history  of 
the  early  Church  and  of  our  country.  The  first  three  Bishops 
were  often  partakers  of  Dr.  Mansfield's  open  hearted  hospitality; 
Bishop  Seabury  speaks  of  its  being  his  "favorite  stopping  place," 
and  on  his  visitation  always  planned  to  stop  there  as  his  head- 
quarters. Major  Elijah  Humphreys,  Dr.  Mansfield's  son-in-law. 
General  David  Humphreys,  Anna  Mansfield's  brother-in-law, 
and  "Lady  Humphreys"  all  were  frequent  visitors,  and  local 
tradition  says  that  General  Washington  stayed  there  one  night 
on  his  way  to  places  north.  The  Hulls,  of  course,  were  very 
much  at  home  there.  Captain  Joseph  Hull,  Mrs.  Mansfield's 
father,  her  brother  Captain  Joseph  Hull,  Jr.,  also  her  uncle 
Samuel  Hull,  a  great  churchman  of  his  day  whose  daughter 
Eunice  married  Dr.  Mansfield's  son  William.  The  Mansfields 
were  connected  by  marriage  with  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson,  and  he 
besides  many  other  church  dignitaries  and  prominent  men  from 
the  surrounding  country  visited  at  the  old  house.  Many  a 
weighty  matter  was  discussed  within  its  walls. 

To  Mrs.  Stivers  is  due  the  fact  that  the  Old  Mansfield  House 
has  been  preserved.  It  may  be  regretted  that  it  could  not  have 
been  retained  on  the  old  site,  but  there  are  similar  instances  of 
removal,  as  of  the  Edgar  Allen  Poe  house  in  the  Bronx,  in  New 
York.  For  two  years  Mrs.  Stivers  worked  to  that  end,  but, 
having  failed  to  interest  anyone  sufficiently  to  purchase  the 
house,  it  needed  the  threat  of  instant  destruction  to  cause  her  to 
feel  that  it  must  be  saved.  In  1927  she  had  collected  and  ex- 
pended .17,000.  Friends  had  been  secured,  and  her  zeal  inspired 
the  workmen  on  the  house  to  show  the  greatest  inteiest,  and  to 
take  the  utmost  pains  to  preserve  everything  just  as  it  was 
originally.     At  that  date  $2,000  was  desired  to  complete  the 


"10  SOLDIER  AND   SERVANT   SERIES 

restoration  and  begin  an  endowment  fund,  but  it  could  not  be 
doubted  that  it  would  be  secured  to  finish  and  maintain  one  of 
our  most  valuable  historic  buildings. 

The  illustration,  taken  from  a  contemporary  picture,  shows 
the  charm  of  the  old  manse  in  the  many  years  when  its  presiding 
trenius  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Richard  Mansfield. 


THE   REV.    RICHARD   MANSFIELD,    D.    D. 


THE  REV.  RICHARD  MANSFIELD,D.D. 

"SARVANT  OF  THE  LORD" 

Dr.  Richard  Mansfield  was  probably  the  most  picturesque 
character,  and  without  doubt  one  of  the  most  potent  factors,  in 
the  early  development  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  Colonies. 

His  is  believed  to  be  the  longest  pastorate  on  record  in 
America  —  72  years,  from  1748  to  1820. 

This  period,  of  course,  was  a  vital  one  in  our  national  life, 
for  it  saw  the  last  of  the  Indian  wars;  the  Revolutionary  War 
with  the  painful  days  preceding  and  following  it;  the  founding 
of  the  new  Republic;  and  the  establishing  of  that  Republic  on 
the  seas  for  all  time. 

And  it  included  a  no  less  significant  period  in  the  history  of 
the  Church.  During  his  pastorate,  Dr.  Mansfield  participated 
in  the  election  of  the  first  Bishop  in  the  United  vStates,  (the  Rt. 
Rev.  Samuel  Seabury),  and  of  the  two  succeeding  Bishops  of 
Connecticut;  he  served  through  the  trying  days  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War  when  the  Episcopal  clergy  were  svibjected  to  the 
ordeal  of  remaining  true  to  their  ordination  vows  pledging 
loyalty  to  the  King,  and  at  the  same  time  serving  their  people 
in  the  Colonies;  he  helped  formulate  the  Office  for  the  Holy 
Communion,  which  is  substantially  the  office  in  our  Book  of 
Common  Prayer;  and  for  72  years  in  unspectacular  fashion  he 
worked  quietly  and  patiently,  but  none  the  less  effectively,  to 
promulgate  the  doctrines  in  which  he  believed. 

One  cannot  think  but  with  reverence  of  the  old  rector, 
going  about  the  Connecticut  countryside  from  parish  to  parish 
in  all  kinds  of  weather,  almost  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  at  the 
age  of  96.  He  travelled,  of  necessity,  on  horseback,  and  an 
unusual  figure  he  must  have  presented  indeed,   even  in  those 


14  SOLDIER  AND   SERVANT   SERIES 

days.  He  was  tall  and  slight,  and  wore  a  snow-white  wig.  He 
was  a  typical  "gentleman  and  scholar"  of  the  old  school,  from 
his  broad-brimmed  black  felt  hat  to  his  Colonial  shoe  buckles; 
and  throughout  his  life  he  adhered  to  knee  breeches,  ruffied 
shirt,  and  flowing  cape. 

He  was  always  kindly  and  affectionate  in  manner.  On  his 
rounds  he  would  halt  to  admonish  a  group  of  children,  to  tell 
them  on  one  occasion  that  they  grew  like  weeds,  and  then  to 
correct  himself  like  the  courtly  gentleman  he  was,  "rather  like 
little  ffowers,  I  should  say."  He  had  a  word  for  all  whom  he 
met  on  his  way,  and  many  a  farmer's  wife  would  pause  in  her 
doorway  to  look  after  him  and  remark,  "There  goes  a  sarvant 
of  the  Lord." 

Richard  Mansfield  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
in  1723,  the  youngest  son  of  Jonathan  Mansfield,  who  was  a 
deacon  in  the  Congregational  Church.  At  the  age  of  eleven, 
Richard  satisfied  the  academic  entrance  requirements  for  Yale 
College,  but  in  accord  with  their  policy  he  was  not  allowed  to 
enter  until  he  was  fourteen.  He  was  graduated  before  his 
eighteenth  birthday  with  the  highest  honors  in  his  class.  He 
continued  his  studies  for  two  years,  during  which  time  his  theo- 
logical readings  resulted  in  his  adopting  the  Episcopalian  faith. 
This  did  not  meet  with  the  approval  of  his  family,  who,  it  will  be 
remembered,  were  "pious  and  painful  congregationalists." 

From  1744  to  1747,  he  was  in  charge  of  the  Hopkins  Gram- 
mar School  of  New  Haven,  and  then  he  went  to  England  with 
several  clergymen  who  doubted  the  validity  of  their  Congrega- 
tional orders.  There  he  was  ordained  a  deacon  by  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  and  a  few  days  later  was  advanced  to  the 
priesthood.  He  then  received  an  appointment  from  the  Vener- 
able Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts. 

He  returned  to  America  in  1748  and  was  assigned  to  a 
little  church  in  Derby,  Connecticut,  located  in  that  part  of 
Derby  which  has  since  become  Ansonia,  with  the  parishes  of 
West  Haven,  Waterbury  and  Northbury  (now  Plymouth) 
thrown  in  for  good  measure.  In  1755  he  gave  up  West  Haven, 
Waterbury  and   Northbury,   and  from   then   on   he   ministered 


THE   REV.    RICHARD  MANSFIELD,    D.  D.  15 

only  to  Derby  and  Oxford  —  that  is,  officially.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  his  heart  often  took  him  as  far  afield  as  the  wilds  of  Maine, 
New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  to  take  cheer  and  comfort  and 
spiritual  help  to  former  parishioners  who  had  moved  away  and 
had  no  clergymen. 

What  hopes  must  have  burned  in  the  heart  of  the  young 
clergyman,  and  what  prayers  must  have  trembled  on  his  lips  as 
he  set  out  to  take  up  his  duties  in  the  little  church  in  Derby! 
It  had  been  built  by  7  fervent  and  painstaking  souls  who  hewed 
out  the  timbers  with  their  own  hands.  It  was  completed  in  1746, 
and  although  it  boasted  only  four  pews,  it  was  called  the  "Glory 
of  the  Wilderness."  It  was  unconsecrated  except  by  the  prayers 
of  the  little  congregation,  for  it  antedated  the  first  bishop  by 
nearly  forty  years. 

And  so  Richard  Mansfield,  at  the  age  of  25,  fell  heir  to  the 
"Glory  of  the  Wilderness,"  to  an  annual  pittance  of  £20  sterling 
from  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  and  to  a  house 
with  9  acres  of  land.  There  were  slaves  to  work  the  farm  which 
was  to  furnish  a  living  for  the  pastor  and  his  family. 

In  1751,  Mr.  Mansfield  married  Anna  Hull,  a  charming 
fifteen  year  old  girl  whose  brother's  grandson  commanded  the 
Frigate  Constitution  in  1812.  The  ceremony  was  performed  by 
the  brid,e's  uncle.  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson,  "the  father  of  American 
Episcopacy,"  in  the  little  Derby  Church,  much  to  the  horror  of 
the  townspeople,  who  felt  it  to  be  much  too  "high  church" 
a  proceeding.     Weddings  should  be  held  at  home. 

Then  followed  a  period  of  anxiety  that  must  have  called  for 
all  the  fortitude  the  young  wife  could  muster.  At  that  time  Mr. 
Mansfield's  parish  covered  50-Jiiiles,  and  it  took  a  matter  of  days 
for  him  to  make  his  rounds.  It  was  therefore  necessary  for  him 
frequently  to  leave  his  wife  alone,  with  little  children,  to  confront 
prowling  Indians,  for  it  was  not  until  the  close  of  the  Indian 
wars  in  1763,  that  a  stop  was  put  to  their  mauraudings. 

Even  more  stirring  times  were  in  store  for  them  when  the 
discontent  of  the  Colonists  began  to  crystallize  into  open  opposi- 
tion to  the  Mother  Country.  Because  of  his  ordination  vows, 
Richard  Mansfield  felt  he  could  not  conscientiously  be  anything 


16  SOLDIER   AND   SERVANT   SERIES 

but  a  Loyalist.  In  1775,  in  a  personal  letter,  he  prided  himself 
on  the  fact  that  throuj^h  his  efforts  110  of  the  130  families  in  his 
parish  had  remained  loyal  to  the  King.  He  also  wrote  to  the 
Governor  of  Connecticut  stating  that  in  his  opinion,  if  the  King's 
troops  were  sent  to  protect  the  Loyalists,  they  might  count  upon 
the  support  of  several  thousand  men  in  the  western  counties  of 
the  Colony.     A  warrant  was  immediately  issued  for  his  arrest. 

One  Sunday  while  Dr.  Mansfield  was  preaching,  the  Ameri- 
can troops  came.  Without  ceremony  he  descended  from  his 
pulpit  and  departed  "in  double  quick,"  as  one  historian  puts  it, 
without  his  hat.  He  escaped  to  Long  Island,  which  was  then 
occupied  by  the  British. 

His  son-in-law,  Elijah  Humphries,  was  an  officer  on  a  war 
vessel,  and  it  is  believed  that  he  became  guarantee  for  his  father- 
in-law's  conduct,  and  was  responsible  for  having  him  restored  to 
his  family  and  pulpit  soon  after. 

A  tragedy  had  befallen  him  in  the  meantime,  however.  He 
had  left  his  wife  with  9  children  —  5  of  them  little  and  helpless  — 
and  he  returned  in  the  fall  of  1776  to  find  that  she  had  died  in  the 
summer,  a  victim  of  the  strenuous  times.  (They  had  13  children 
all  together,  only  9  of  whom  lived  to  maturity.) 

After  the  War,  Mr.  Mansfield's  erstwhile  political  feelings 
were  forgotten  because  of  his  zealous  and  unselfish  service  to  his 
Church.  And  when  the  War  of  1812  came  along,  he  was  as  loyal 
a  citizen  as  the  country  had. 

In  1783,  Dr.  Mansfield  was  a  delegate  to  the  convention  that 
elected  Dr.  Seabury,  in  secret  session,  as  the  first  Bishop  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  America.  Four  years  later  he 
was  mentioned  for  Coadjutor  Bishop  to  Dr.  Seabury,  but  he  re- 
fused the  office  on  the  grounds  that  he  was  not  able  to  assume  its 
responsibilities. 

On  September  21,  1786,  Bishop  Seabury  delivered  his  last 
charge  to  the  clergy  of  the  diocese  in  Dr.  Mansfield's  little 
church,  and  it  was  at  this  gathering  that  the  Office  for  the  Holy 
Communion  was  submitted,  although  it  was  not  accepted  by  the 
American  Church  until  3  vears  later. 


THE   REV.    RICHARD  MANSFIELD,    D.  D.  17 

Richard  Mansfield  was  pre-eminently  a  scholar  of  the 
highest  order  —  an  erudite  man  who  could  keep  his  learning  in 
the  background  when  necessary,  and  who  always  tried  to  mag- 
nify his  office  rather  than  himself  personally.  It  was  therefore 
fitting  that  he  should  have  been  the  first  Episcopalian  clergyman 
in  America  upon  whom  Yale  College  conferred  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity.  That  was  in  1792.  He  was  then  almost 
70,  and  still  he  had  before  him  nearly  30  years  of  active  service. 
For  20  years  preceding  his  death.  Dr.  Mansfield  was  unable  to 
preach  because  of  his  failing  voice,  but  this  did  not  deter  him 
from  rendering  other  pastoral  services  among  his  people,  for  he 
remained  in  excellent  health  almost  to  the  end,  and  all  but  died 
with  his  boots  on.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  never  was  a  vehement 
preacher,  but  solemn  and  impressive  and  sincere. 

In  June,  1797,  in  the  same  little  church  that  had  been  called 
the  "Glory  of  the  Wilderness,"  the  annual  convention  elected 
the  Rev.  Aljraham  Jarvis,  D.  D.,  to  succeed  Bishop  Seabury, 
who  died  in  1796.  Immediately  afterward  the  group  marched 
down  the  Derljy  hillside,  a  half  mile  nearer  the  Naugatuck,  .and 
Dr.  Mansfield  laid  the  cornerstone  for  a  new  church  which  was 
consecrated  two  years  later. 

Dr.  Mansfield's  last  public  service  to  the  church  was  to 
assist  in  the  election  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Church  Brownell,  as 
third  Bishop  of  Connecticut  in  1819.  Then  in  1820,  just  before 
Easter,  he  died  serenely  with  the  name  "Jesus,  Jesus"  on  his  lips. 
He  had  fought  the  good  fight  for  72  years  —  he  had  finished  his 
course  at  96.  He  lies  buried  in  the  old  Episcopal  Cemetery  in 
Ansonia,  almost  under  the  spot  where  the  cornerstone  of  the 
"Glory  of  the  Wilderness"  was  laid.  He  performed  2,191  bap- 
tisms and  probaljly  as  many  marriages  and  funeral  services. 

There  is  a  memorial  window  for  him  in  the  church  in  Ansonia, 
and  still  another  landmark  is  now  being  nurtured  into  a  fitting 
monument  to  his  almost  unprecedented  service.  It  is  the  old 
house  in  which  he  lived  during  his  entire  pastorate  —  the  old 
house  where  his  girl  wife  hid  with  her  babies  in  the  great  brick 
oven  when  the  Indians  broke  loose  —  the  old  house  where  Dr. 
vSamuel  Johnson  and  Bishop  Seabury  used  to  pay  frequent  visits 


18  SOLDIER  AND   SERVANT   SERIES 

and  discuss  affairs  of  great  moment  to  the  Church.  "One 
thousand  six  hundred  seventy-two"  is  the  date  chiselled  into  one 
of  its  beams,  and  it  is  known  to  have  been  completed  in  1720, 
and  possibly  it  dates  back  of  that. 

It  was  about  to  be  demolished  recently,  when  it  was  rescued 
by  Mrs.  Mabel  P.  Stivers  of  Derby,  a  staunch  churchwoman 
and  a  patriotic  citizen  who  realized  its  sacredness  and  its  value  to 
future  generations. 

The  old  Doctor  is  still  talked  about  reverently  in  Derby 
where  there  are  old  folk  who  have  heard  about  him  from  their 
grandparents.  He  was  beloved  by  all  and  many  a  legend  proves 
it.  One  of  the  favorites  is  the  "  'lasses"  story  which  crops  out 
all  over  New  England  in  various  guises.  Dr.  Mansfield  was 
being  entertained  by  some  admiring  parishioners,  and  in  honor 
of  the  occasion  they  were  serving  coffee  with  molasses  "fretted 
in"  for  sweetening.  The  genial  hostess  gave  her  guest  such  a 
generous  portion  of  the  delicacy  that  he  protested.  Thereupon 
she  reassured  him,  "La  me,  parson,  'twould  be  none  too  good  for 
you  if  'twas  all  'lasses." 

And  so  the  old  Doctor  lives  on  in  the  hearts  of  his  people, 
and  his  good  works  still  follow  him.  May  his  old  home  become  a 
shrine  where  for  generations  to  come  the  visitor  niay  be  inspired 
by  the  memory  of  his  long,  selfless  devotion  to  his  God  and  to  his 
people. 


THK    RKV.    ARCHIBALD   ROMAINE   MANSFIELD,    D.    D. 


THE 
REV.  ARCHIBALD  R.MANSFIELD,  D.D. 

"SHORE  PILOT" 

In  tlie  prcccdiiiL,^  article  are  set  fortli  tlie  achievements  of 
Dr.  Richard  Mansfield,  a  fourth  ^feneration  descendant  from  tlie 
first  pioneer  of  that  ilk  to  come  to  these  shores,  also  named 
Richard. 

This  article  concerns  itself  with  a  tenth  generation  scion  of 
the  same  original  Richard  —  the  Rev.  Archibald  Romaine 
Mansfield,  D.  D.,  Superintendent  of  the  Seamen's  Church  In- 
stitute of  New  York. 

For  over  thirty  years  Dr.  Mansfield  has  been  engaged  in  the 
herculean  task  of  cleaning  the  Augean  stables  of  New  York's 
waterfront,  so  to  speak,  and  the  Institute  building  itself  is  tangi- 
ble and  indisputable  evidence  of  his  success. 

Atop  it  is  the  Titanic  Memorial  Tower  with  its  Green  Light, 
one  of  the  best  known  landmarks  in  the  Port  of  New  York. 
Like  the  Statue  of  Liberty,  it  sends  out  a  message  of  welcome 
and  freedom.  It  is  the  only  welcome  to  the  only  home  they  know 
for  thousands  of  worthy  sailormen  who  roam  the  seven  seas; 
and  its  other  message  is  a  promise  of  freedom  from  the  tempta- 
tions of  the  waterfront  —  a  promise  of  a  square  deal  ashore. 

Dr.  Mansfield  is  largely  responsible  for  it.  He  came  to  the 
Seamen's  Church  Institute  direct  from  the  General  Theological 
Seminary  30  years  ago,  and  from  that  day  to  this,  the  Institute 
has  been  his  very  life.  To  outline  his  work  for  the  past  few  years, 
it  is  necessary  to  indulge  in  a  bit  of  retrospection,  for  his  recent 
activities  have  been  the  culmination  and  realization  of  years  of 
work  and  planning.  He  has  seen  the  clipper  shij)  replaced  by  the 
steamer  and  the  oil  burner,  and  he  has  seen  equally  drastic  im- 


22  SOLDIER   AND   SERVANT   SERIES 

proveinent  in  the  seaman  himself  and  in  social  conditions  alon^' 
the  waterfront.  His  has  been  a  service  to  the  individual  seaman, 
to  the  shipper,  to  the  Port  of  New  York,  to  the  nation  and  even 
to  international  interests. 

At  the  close  of  Dr.  Mansfield's  thirtieth  year  as  Superintend- 
ent of  the  Seamen's  Church  Institute,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
eighty-second  year  of  its  existence,  we  have  down  on  South 
Street,  overlooking  the  world's  greatest  port,  the  largest  institu- 
tion on  earth  for  merchant  seamen.  The  imposing  thirteen-story 
building  with  the  shell  of  its  new  $2,000,000  annex,  merely 
considered  as  a  thing  of  stone  and  steel,  is  an  achievement 
any  man  might  well  be  proud  of  —  a  monument  to  a  life's  hard 
work  —  but  the  building  of  the  Seamen's  Church  Institute 
represents  so  much  more  than  this.  It  represents  a  development 
of  character  and  a  conquest  of  a  particular  type  of  iniquity  that 
has  few  parallels  in  social  history. 

Through  the  work  of  the  Institute,  the  seaman  has  justly 
been  able  to  shake  off  the  cloak  of  ignominy  that  formerly  en- 
veloped him.  The  "land  shark"  is  practically  extinct.  At  least 
he  is  now  a  rare  bird,  with  little  of  his  erstwhile  evil  influence. 
The  same  is  true  of  the  "crimp"  who  existed  to  prey  upon  the 
proverbially  "easy"  sailor  when  he  came  ashore  with  his  pockets 
jingling.  The  waterfront  has  emerged  from  a  line  of  dives  of 
various  sorts  to  a  decent  thoroughfare.  Reduced  to  a  negligible 
number  are  the  "shanghai"  victims  that  existed  in  truth  as  well 
as  in  fiction. 

Nowadays,  the  self-respecting  sailorman  finds  at  the  Sea- 
men's Church  Institute  a  home,  club,  bank,  postoffice,  library, 
employment  agency,  tailor  shop,  barber  shop,  church,  and 
friendly  rendezvous.  Here  he  may  enjoy  the  company  of  other 
decent  seamen.  He  may  get  an  immaculately  clean  bed  with 
washroom  and  shower  privileges.  He  may  get  good  wholesome 
food  like  mother  used  to  make.  He  may  take  advantage  of  the 
facilities  of  the  library,  reading  and  writing  rooms,  game  rooms, 
etc.  He  may  leave  his  baggage  in  the  dunnage  department  from 
one  trip  to  the  next  or  longer  without  the  possibility  of  its  being 
looted.     He  may  bank  his  savings  or  have  his  wages  sent  home 


THE    REV.   ARCHIBALD   R.   MANSFIELD,    D.   D.  23 

by  the  Institute  bank.  In  many  cases  the  Institutte  is  the  only 
permanent  address  a  seaman  can  give,  and  he  therefore  appre- 
ciates the  service  of  the  post  office  as  the  only  link  he  has  with 
family  or  friends  ashore.  The  Merchant  Marine  School  makes  it 
possible  for  an  ordinary  seaman  to  become  third  mate  after  a 
short  course  between  trips.  In  another  similar  course  he  may 
become  second  mate,  and  a  third  course  will  give  him  his  first 
mate's  papers.  The  school  has  graduated  3,000  officers  since 
its  inauguration  several  years  ago. 

For  the  youngsters  who  sail  the  seven  seas  as  apprentices  the 
Institute  provides  a  recreation  room  with  a  motherly  hostess, 
games,  current  literature,  a  piano,  a  victrola,  and  occasional 
refreshments  and  picnics. 

The  work  of  the  Seamen's  Church  Institute  began  back  in 
1843  in  a  little  floating  church  built  on  a  barge  in  the  East 
River,  which  was  successively  replaced  by  a  larger  church  and 
by  land  missions  of  increasing  size  and  scope  of  service  until 
the  present  building  was  dedicated  in  1913  with  sleeping  accom- 
modations for  o\'er  800  each  night.  Unfortunately,  pending 
the  completion  of  the  new  annex,  which  will  increase  the  capacity 
to  1,500  many  have  to  be  turned  away  nightly. 

It  was  at  Dr.  Mansfield's  instigation  that  the  legislation 
was  enacted,  making  it  compulsory  for  candidates  for  officers' 
commissions  to  pass  examinations  in  first  aid.  He  is  also  re- 
sponsible for  the  inauguration  of  radio  medical  service  to  ships 
at  sea,  first  conducting  it  privately  until  its  desirability  and 
feasibility  had  been  demonstrated,  and  then  getting  the  Govern- 
ment to  manage  it  jointly  with'the  Radio  Corporation  of  America. 

Helping  men  to  help  themselves  has  been  Dr.  Mansfield's 
policy.  The  seamen  pay  a  nominal  price  for  the  material  com- 
forts they  receive  at  the  Institute,  and  funds  are  solicited  froin 
friends  for  only  those  services  for  which  no  charge  can  be  made, 
such  as  help  with  naturalization  papers,  getting  into  a  hospital, 
borrowing  to  tide  over  a  difficult  period,  locating  missing  men, 
etc.  The  Institute  is  therefore  not  a  charity,  but  a  philanthropic 
eft'ort  to  improve  conditions  for  seamen  ashore. 


24  SOLDIER   AND   SERVANT   SERIES 

Obviously  a  national  and  international  merchant  marine 
nmst  have  for  its  backbone  strong,  upstanding  men,  who  satisfy, 
standards  of  efficiency  and  decency  as  high  as  those  demanded 
in  other  fields  of  labor.  Dr.  Mansfield  had  the  vision  to  see 
this  30  years  ago,  and  he  has  been  working  unceasingly  to 
develop  the  highest  type  of  mariner.  The  United  vStates  as  a 
whole,  and  New  York  in  particular,  has  benefited  by  his  work,  for 
its  prosperity  has  been  founded  upon  its  commerce  and  its 
commerce  upon  increasingly  fit  mariners. 

As  to  what  the  future  holds  —  there  was  a  time  when  the 
present  structure  would  have  been  considered  a  castle  in  Spain, 
but  now  that  its  efficacy  has  been  demonstrated,  and  now  that 
work  is  under  way  to  almost  double  its  opportunities  for  service, 
one  wonders  where  it  will  end.  One  thing  is  sure,  however, 
ever  growing,  it  will  be  a  monument  to  the  vision  of  a  man  who 
could  understand  other  men,  who  could  sympathize  with  them 
and  yet  minister  to  them  without  maudlin  sentimentality  —  a 
man  who  could  interpret  the  needs  of  the  seaman  to  the  lands- 
man, and  who  could  force  fair  treatment  for  the  seaman  ashore  — 
a  man  whose  character  and  ability  fit  him  for  the  part  of  Shore 
Pilot  to  thousands  of  sailormen. 


HON.    BURTOM   MANSFIliLD,    D.    C.    L. 


HON.  BURTON  MANSFIELD,  D.C.L 

CHANCELLOR  OF  THE  DIOCESE 
OF  CONNECTICUT 


Burton  Mansfield  is  a  son  of  the  soil.  He  was  born  in 
Connecticut,  of  New  England  stock,  and  blessed  or  "cussed" 
with  a  New  England  temperament.  He  has  lived  all  his  life 
in  Connecticut  and  is  now  too  old  to  change,  even  if  he  would  — 
and  he  wouldn't. 

Born  in  Hamden,  but  a  few  miles  from  New  Haven  Green, 
he  has  never  been  able  to  stay  very  long  away  from  it.  His 
father  moved  to  New  Haven  when  he  was  quite  young.  He 
received  his  preparatory  education  in  the  Rectory  School  at 
Hamden,  an  institution  well  known  half  a  century  ago,  ancV  in 
Hopkins  Grammar  School  of  New  Haven,  one  of  the  oldest 
schools  in  the  country  and  still  flourishing  today.  He  entered 
the  Sheffield  Scientific  School  of  Yale  University  in  1872,  and 
graduated  from  the  same  in  1875  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  He 
entered  the  Law  School  the  same  year,  and  graduated  from  it 
in  1878  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  New  Haven  that  same  year. 

Mr.  Mansfield's  activities  have  been  so  varied  and  his 
interests  so  wide  that  the  simplest  way  to  understand  his  rather 
unique  position  is  to  follow  his  footsteps  through  the  different 
fields  in  which  he  has  moved,  and  thus  gather  a  clear  and  rela- 
tively complete  outline  of  his  busy  life. 

Immediately  on  his  graduation  he  became  a  clerk  of  the 
Probate  Court  of  New  Haven,  and  this  undoubtedly  had  some 
influence  in  shaping  his  legal  practice,  for  that  has  been  chiefly 
in  probate  matters.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the  settlement  of 
more  estates  than  any  other  ])crK()n  now  li\-ing  in  New  Haven.    He 


28  SOLDIER   AND   SERVANT   SERIES 

has  frequently  appeared  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State 
in  cases  involving  the  construction  and  interpretation  of  wills 
and  the  rights  of  heirs,  legatees,  creditors,  et  al. 

One  of  the  most  important  cases  was  that  by  which  the 
city  of  New  Haven  acquired  the  Alarett  Fund  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Free  Public  Library.  In  this  case  he  was  the  assistant  to 
the  late  Judge  William  K.  Towmsend,  who  was  at  that  time 
corporation  counsel  for  New  Haven. 

He  was  also  a  member  of  the  old  court  of  Common  Council 
from  1882  to  1884,  and  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  finance 
for  years. 

For  8  years  he  was  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Free  Public  Library.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
first  board  and  saw  the  beginnings  of  the  Library,  first  in  the 
old  Sheffield  building  on  Chapel  Street,  and  later  in  the  old 
Third  Church  building  on  Church  Street. 

He  has  taken  an  active  and  helpful  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
his  community  besides  those  activities  already  indicated.  He 
is  President  of  the  Connecticut  Savings  Bank;  Director  in  the 
Merchants'  National  Bank;  Director  in  the  New  Haven  Water 
Co. ;  Director  of  the  West  Haven  Buckle  Co. ;  Director  of  the 
Security  Insurance  Co.,  of  New  Haven;  Director  of  the  Pilot 
Re-insurance  Co.,  of  New  York;  Director  in  Permanence  of  the 
New  Haven  Colony  Historical  Society;  Director  of  the  Florence 
Crittenden  Mission;  Director  of  the  Organized  Charities  of 
New  Haven.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
New  Haven  Orphan  Asylum.  He  was  the  first  President  of  the 
Yale  Alumni  Association  of  New  Haven.  He  is  also  a  Fellow  of 
the  National  Academy  of  Design.  He  was  for  two  terms  In- 
surance Commissioner  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  having  been 
appointed  by  governors  of  both  the  leading  parties  in  the  State. 
To  enumerate  further  is  unnecessary,  and  all  these  years  he  has 
been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

It  is  not  however  to  these  varied  activities  and  interests 
that  Mr.  Mansfield  owes  his  particular  place  in  the  appreciation 
and  regard  of  so  many  different  groups  of  people,  but  rather  to 
his  religious  interest  and  his  devotion  to  dutv.     For  Mr.  Mans- 


THP:    HON.    BARTON   MANSFIELD,    D.  C.   L.  29 

field  is  essentially  a  religious  man  and  one  who  interprets  religion 
in  the  old  Puritan  terms  of  Duty  and  Work.  He  therefore  has 
always  been  interested  in  the  established  agencies  of  his  Church, 
and  worked  through  the  existing  machinery.  At  one  time  he 
probably  knew  more  about  the  machinery  of  the  diocese  than 
any  other  layman  in  it.  Whether  he  does  so  now  is  a  question. 
It  is  doubtful  whether  any  one  does. 

He  began  to  attend  St.  Thomas's  Church,  New  Haven, 
when  he  was  5  years  old,  and  has  attended  there  ever  since. 
From  Sunday  School  scholar  he  passed  to  Sunday  School  Super- 
intendent. He  early  became  a  vestryman,  and  has  served  in 
that  capacity  for  nearly  50  years,  and  has  occupied  successively 
the  office  of  Junior  and  of  Senior  Warden.  He  became  a  delegate 
to  the  Diocesan  Convention  in  1884,  and  has  been  such  ever 
since.  In  the  diocese  his  official  activities  have  been  many  and 
long.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Missionary  Board  of  the  Diocese 
for  40  years,  and  its  Secretary  for  37.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the 
Berkeley  Divinity  School,  of  the  Bishop's  Fund,  and  also  of  the 
Societ}'  of  Donations  and  Bequests.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Executive  Council,  and  has  been  the  Chancellor  of  the  Diocese 
since  1921. 

He  has  been  a  deputy  to  the  General  Con\-ention  10  times 
without  interruption.  He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Council, 
and  is  its  oldest  member.  He  is  a  Trustee  of  the  American 
Church  Building  Fund,  and  its  Vice-President.  He  is  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Expenses  of  the  General  Convention,  and 
has  been  for  many  sessions.  These  are  not  all  of  the  varied  forms 
in  which  his  interest  has  found  room  to  work. 

As  a  citizen,  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Municipal  Art 
Commission  of  New  Haven,  and  also  of  the  State  Sculptural 
Commission,  and  for  a  long  time  chairman  of  both.  As  a  tribute 
to  his  public  services  and  as  an  expression  of  their  high  estimate 
of  his  character  and  labours,  both  the  Berkeley  Divinity  School 
and  Trinity  College  have  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
D.  C.  L. 


30  SOLDI KR    AM)    SKRVANT   SERIES 

A  mere  cataloi^ue  of  offices  and  honors  does  not  mean  much 
in  this  day  of  committees,  commissions  and  organizations  with- 
out end.  No  more  to  some  in  fact  than  Homer's  catalogue  of 
ships. 

Any  one  who  has  served  on  many  committees  knows  they  are 
composed  of  two  groups  in  the  proportion  of  about  5  to  one  — 
those  who  talk,  and  those  who  act.  Mr.  Mansfield  is  not  a 
talker  in  that  sense  of  the  word,  for  he  always  speaks  to  the  point. 
Behind  all  these  outward  things  there  is  something  far  more 
important,  and  that  is  the  man  himself. 

There  are  few  probably,  who  know  him  well.  None  prob- 
ably who  know  him  entirely.  As  a  New  Englander  he  is  by 
temperament  as  well  as  habit,  reticent.  In  matters  of  vital, 
personal  interest  he  hides  himself.  He  conceals  in  silence  or  by 
a  pretense  of  calmness  the  things  wdiich  move  him  most.  His 
kindness  and  generosity  are  often  masked  by  a  certain  brusque- 
ness  as  if  he  were  ashamed.  In  debate  he  often  seems  one  sided 
which  mav  be  due  to  his  legal  training.  Yet,  there  are  few  men 
concerning  whom  so  many  can  speak  of 

"That  best  portion  of  a  good  man's  life  — 
"His  little,  nameless,  unremembered  acts 
"Of  kinchiess  and  of  love," 

as  of  Burton  Mansfield. 


v  --^^^vXv 


